Hope, Healing, and Freedom for Hurting Souls

My One Word for 2015: Follow

First of all, I want to wish you all a Blessed New Year. If you are hurting right now, I pray your heavy load will be lifted and you will find peace in Jesus! I wish you all loads of love, peace, and joy in 2015!

Looking back over the past year of writing, I have so much to be grateful for. When I read WordPress’ year-end report for 2014, I was awed to see visitors came here from 93 different countries. Thank you all for taking the time to stop in at my site. Whether you commented or not, I hope you have received hope in Jesus. And thank you for caring thoughts, prayers, and encouragement. They have confirmed to me that God wants me to keep on writing here. May I ask you to pray for me? That I will write only with an eye to His glory and not my own?

My One Word for 2014 was TRUST. As we neared the end of another year, I had to ask, “Lord, have I grown at all in trusting You?” Sometimes I think I do trust Him more to be a loving Father with pure intentions, but I have trouble still with placing my whole heart and life in His hands. I remain a work in progress. One day, when I am with Jesus forever, I will finally come to trust completely – no fears, no hesitations, no reservations. What a glorious day that will be!

As 2014 neared its end, my heart struggled to find a word for 2015. What do I want to focus on? What is lacking in my life? And so many words jumbled together in my mind.

Then I woke up on New Year’s Day facing the uncertainties of what 2015 would bring. I prayed that I would follow Jesus, not always try to run ahead of Him. As I discussed this with my husband, he repeated the phrase we love to remind ourselves of – “I don’t need to understand; I just need to hold Your hand.”

Yes! This is what I need throughout the year. To FOLLOW Jesus! To more and more give up my own way and surrender to His way. To cling to His hand, to not let go to find my own paths.

So easily I make my plan and then ask the Lord to bless it instead of waiting quietly at Jesus’ feet to hear what His plan for my life is and then take His hand and follow.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24

So what does the word “FOLLOW” mean for me in 2015?

To surrender to God’s plans and let go of mine. I need to let go of my self-made plans and let Jesus direct me according to His plans for me. To trust Him, to cling to His hand, and follow Him in whichever paths He leads me.

To strive for God’s glory, not mine. I want to let go of selfish desires. I often confuse “selfish” with anything I do for myself. But God’s plan is clearly written in His Word that I should take care of myself. I need to search my heart and sort out what selfish really means. Selfish is anything that elevates myself more than God. Specifically, I want to stop striving for approval and validation from people, longing to be recognized and elevated, and to focus on glorifying God in all I do, say, think, or write.

To focus on the cross Jesus carried for me and be willing to follow His footsteps. To be willing to die to myself out of love for Him and for hurting souls. To accept what happens in my life as guided by His hand of love. To believe that no matter what happens, it is meant to prosper me and mold me more into His image and to His glory.

To swallow Truth and spew out lies. Too easily I am led along by negative voices, either from my own insecurity or from the devil who wants to discourage me. I want to follow God’s Truth with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and to keep a tight grasp on who I really am in Him.

Do you have a word you’d like to focus on this year? What does it mean for you?

I have chosen “rest” as my word for 2015. Rest in who God is. Rest in the truth of who I am in Him. I haven’t fully fleshed out all that “rest” means for me yet, but it is a word that expands with each thoughtful, restful breath.

I love your word, Cheryl. I need that rest, too. I especially struggle with resting in the truth of who I am in Him and in His power to work through all that is so impossible from my side. Love how you say it is a word that expands with each thoughtful, restful breath! Thank you for these words of hope today. Praying you will have a year of rest in Jesus! 💗

Trudy,
What a great word and I love how you applied it to your life. I’m not sure what my word will be yet…maybe “Renew” as in Renew my mind daily (Romans 12:2) …..it is always such a comfort to hold his Hand …Thank you for the encouragement and I pray you have a great year following Jesus on many adventures 🙂

Thank you, Dolly. I’m so glad you are encouraged. Your words have encouraged me as well. I have been asking God how I may know His plan is His and not mine. And according to that verse, I will find out more about His will by daily renewing my mind towards Him. So thank you for pointing out that word and verse to me. May God give us daily renewal in Him! 💗

Thank you, Kelly. Though “trust” was last year’s word, it still spurs me on into this year. As I picked the word “follow,” I thought of how necessary it is for me to trust in order to follow Jesus. So I do actually hope to focus on both words. 🙂 Thank you for stopping in from your RaRa Linkup. God bless you in the new year! 💗

Trudy, you have a potentially adventurous, exciting yet challenging word here! It follows on quite naturally from ‘Trust’ and will probably lead you into deeper surrender and faith-stretching as the year unfurls. How well we would all do to follow your example with these great goals!
As I seek to rest more in the Lord and in my identity in Christ (and who knows what else with a word “that expands with each thoughtful, restful breath” as Cheryl said so beautifully above), I will think more about how it also involves following at Jesus’ pace rather than running ahead and exhausting myself in the process.
Praying you will be given all the wisdom, strength and patient endurance to follow where God calls you. I’m delighted to hear it means seeing more of you here! You are definitely called to write and make a difference, my friend. xox 🙂

Thank you for your loving encouragement, Joy. It’s always such a joy to read your posts and comments. Isn’t it something how much rest, trust, and follow interconnect? Yes, we need “trust” in order to more deeply “follow” Jesus. And we so need “rest” in order to gain deeper wisdom as to what God’s plans are for us. Praying your heart will find rest in Jesus and who you are in Him throughout this year! 💗

I absolutely adore your word for the year, Trudy! I also love how you broke it down into what the word Follow means to you. I will definitely pray for your writing as you asked and also for your ability to follow Him in all areas. Many blessings to you, my friend!

Thank you for your kind words and prayers, Candace. Blessings to you, too, in this new year as you focus on your word for the year – Health. Praying for your health both physically, emotionally, and spiritually! 💗

Hi Trudy – so glad to be your neighbor today at #TellHisStory. Your words and your heart’s desire remind me so much of what I read in my devotion this morning – “Institutions establish goals and objectives and then organize themselves to achieve them. God’s people function in a radically different way. Christians arrange their lives on the revelation of God, regardless of whether it makes sense to them. God does not ask for our opinion about what is best for our future, our family, our church or our country. He already knows! What God wants is to reveal His will, for God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).” (from Experiencing God Day by Day).
I love your points about “what does follow mean for me?” May 2015 truly be a year of “following” for you, moment by moment.

Hi Renee. Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing the devotion. God’s ways are not our ways and He already knows what’s best! Comforting thought! May we align ourselves to that will He wants to reveal to us! I pray you may be blessed in 2015! 💗

Hi Trudy! Love your word for the new year. We are all called to follow him, so you are being very obedient as well. I really like the idea of taking in truth and allowing it to rest in me. Then everything I say will graced. Who wouldn’t want that?

Please be sure to pray for me and my healing if you would. I hope to be on my feet in six weeks.

And God bless you for listening to the Lord, and sharing his word with us!

Trudy,
Happy New Year! Somehow I have missed you the past few months and am so happy you are beside me in the link-up at Bonnie’s place! Oh I so love your word for this year! Following his lead is a beautiful picture I will take with me today, friend! 🙂

Happy New Year to you, too, Valerie! It’s good to see you back here. 🙂 I’m so glad you can take a beautiful picture along with you. 🙂 It makes me think of how the Shepherd would call His own, and they who knew Him listened to His voice and followed Him. May we learn to follow Him more and more in this year that lies ahead! 💗

Trudy, I love your word for the year, and I especially love how you have intentionally thought out what that means for you! I am sure you will discover more throughout the year as He leads and you Follow! My favorite was this: Swallow the Truth – and spew out the LIES! AMEN SISTER! I am with you!
Blessings to you in 2015 friend!

I don’t need to understand; I just need to hold your hand. I love that so much Trudy!:)

I too need to stop trying to run ahead just let him lead me! 🙂
I don’t necessarily have a word for 2015 but, He put a song in my heart for the new year and it has inspired me to live life more intentionally.
So thankful you continue to write and share with us as i always look forward to what wisdom you have to share.
(((HUGS))) ♡

My husband heard that saying in a song as he was surfing the TV one Sunday and came upon a Christian broadcast, and we loved it. It has helped us through many a moment. We will have to remind each other to let Jesus lead us. I’m so glad he put a song in your heart! God bless you with many songs in this new year! Hugs!